Canada Commanding on Day One in Edmonton - Women's 3x3 Report
Crowds at the ICE District gave a warm welcome to the home team as they took to the court for the first of three Women's Series tournaments in 2023.
The Edmonton crowds had good reason for optimism here as well, with the team back to full strength with Michelle Plouffe rejoining her twin Katherine and team mates Paige Crozon and Kacie Bosch, who had new energy in seeking success this time out on on home turf.
First for all twelve teams competing in Edmonton was the pool stage, where the field would be whittled down to two for the knockout stage the following day. As hosts and top seeds Canada started out in Pool A, where they faced two very different teams to begin their push for glory at home.
Poland showed strength in the paint early on but it didn't take long for Michelle to find her rhythm
After putting Canada up five Katherine and Paige Crozon combined for an 8-0 run and they then led by double digits.
Aldona Morawiec tried in vain to save Poland as Michelle ended the game with five unanswered points to get Canada off to a winning start on home soil by 22 points to 10.
Next up was Japan, who got off to an early lead after a two from Tamami Nakada seconds in. Katherine responded by tying the scores and her twin then gave Canada the lead, which grew after a 9-0 run from the hosts.
Canada controlled the pace of the game and left Japan with no time to mount a comeback, Canada were victors by eight points. Japan and Poland were then left to fight for the last spot out of Pool A and a solid Polish performance saw them see past Japan by three and book their place in the last eight.
Elsewhere in Edmonton China comfortably cruised into day two with wins over Hungary and USA Under-24; in the showdown a great all-around performance from the Americans saw them dominate the opposition and finish as pool runners-up.
It was similarly rocky for the senior American team, who had no problems dispatching New Zealand but Germany were a bigger problem. A back-and-forth start turned into a close, heated conclusion where two from the stripe from Cierra Budrick would be the play that would decide Pool C.
With the USA winning by one, they top the pool and will go on to play their Under-24 counterparts on day two.
The most drama was to be had in Pool D: after forfeiting their opening match against France, Chile still managed to stay alive in Edmonton winning their remaining fixture against Gyor. The Hungarians had also lost to the French, who advance as pool winners, while Chile were second and would face Canada in the first quarter final.
After a strong start it's now down to Canada to keep their momentum going into the business end of the Edmonton tournament. Check back here for a full report of day two and find more on this and the 3x3 Women's Series over on the official FIBA website.
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